Investigação sobre um método de detecção de adulterantes em café por CLUE-EM-EM

Abstract

Coffee is one of the most appreciated beverages in the world, due to its sensorial and functional characteristics. Currently, as the main producer and exporter in the world, it is estimated that in Brazil there will be growth in the domestic market in the coming years, in which roasted and ground coffee predominates. This type of product is impaired mainly by adulteration with other plant materials. The implementation of more sensitive and selective methods is necessary to ensure higher quality products. The objective of this dissertation was to develop a method to detect adulterants (rice, barley, corn and soybeans) in commercial samples of coffee, through the oligosaccharides profile and the techniques of Ultra Performance Liquid Chromatography coupled to Tandem Mass Spectrometry (UPLC-MS-MS). From standard solutions of five possible chemical markers (maltose, raffinose, stachyose, 1-kestose and nystose) in aqueous solution of 0.1% formic acid and acetonitrile (1:1) and in Milli-Q grade water, the operational parameters of the mass spectrometer and the chromatographic conditions were tested. The adopted chromatographic method consisted of chromatography by hydrophilic interaction and gradient elution of acetonitrile and aqueous solution of formic acid 0.1%, with injector temperature 20°C; injection volume 1.0 μL; flow rate 0.5 mL/min; column temperature 35°C; and run time 10 min. For the spectrometric method, electrospray ionization was used in positive mode, with capillary, sampling and extraction cones voltages of, respectively, 3.0 kV, 50 V, 2.0 V; sample temperature 80°C; cone gas flow 40 L/h; temperature and flow of desolvation gas 300°C and 500 L/h; and collision energies of at least 15.0 V. The results indicated a good repeatability among analysis of standard solution, with selectivity by the real-time monitoring of the sequential mass spectra. Extracts from the previously roasted samples of adulterants were analyzed. It was confirmed the effect of temperature as an interfering factor for the detection of oligosaccharides. Only soybean presented as potential chemical markers raffinose and stachyose. For the grains of rice, barley and corn, another precursor ion of the same mass/charge ratio (m/z) of raffinose and 1-kestose was observed. It has been identified as maltotriose, in which isomeric differentiation can be ensured by different fragmentation profiles. The study of the mass spectra still ratified these results by the observation of a greater susceptibility of the rupture of α, β (1↔2) bonds and the formation of ions fragments with saturated cyclic chain. However, through the use of the methodology, the chemical markers were not detected in the commercial samples of coffee, even with the samples previously disapproved for the presence of barley. The optimization of the extraction method or the inclusion of sodiated solvents may be necessary and, therefore, new experiments should still be performed, ensuring the applicability of the method by UPLC-MS-MS.